The objective of this study was to assess gender differences in disappeared persons and the circumstances of their disappearance. The method involved the completion of a semi structured interview and questionnaires by individuals searching for missing and disappeared persons in Croatia (1991-1995) as a part of the nationwide disappeared person’s registry of the Croatian Commission for Detained and Missing Persons. A total of 6,183 informants provided information on characteristics and circumstances of 2,563 disappeared persons, 84% of total number of 3,052 disappeared persons. The findings of this study indicate high Levels of civilian disappearance during the war in Croatia.
Although in many cases remains of disappeared have been exhumed and identified, a large number of people are still unaccounted for, more than a decade after their disappearance, and are presumed dead. This indicates a high level of human right abuses against the civilian population in Croatia, including abduction and murder, which are against the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articles 1 to 2,5,7, and 9. In addition, unreported and important gender difference emerged among the disappeared: whereas most men were between 18 and 49 years of age, the majority of the disappeared women were elderly. It is unclear whether this pattern was unique to Croatia or whether similar gender differences occurred elsewhere in the Balkans and in other conflicts characterized by human right abuses, contrary to the Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form Detention or Imprisonment. These findings are important for guiding future policy decisions in the region, planning programs for the survivors of the disappeared and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions according to Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, article 19. The findings clearly indicate the need for protection of the elderly in war zones and need for information dissemination regarding the level of risk in war zones.